Active Park Assist to Add Perpendicular Parking
FordInsideNews.com
June 26, 2012
By: Austin Rutherford
Coming right out of iRobot, many believe that autonomous - or driverless - cars are the future of the automobile industry. Many states are considering or have already passed laws dealing with this future feature with technology pioneers like Google already extensively testing it. With many other automakers exploring autonomous cars, Ford is jumping into the ring further by announcing it will develop two new technologies.
The first of these is Traffic Jam Assist. This is a mid-term solution that will take the driver out of the situation when the vehicle hits heavy traffic. Using radar and cameras, the system will keep the vehicle a certain distance from other vehicles on any side. This will allow for a reduction in stress for the driver, improve traffic flow, and reduce gas consumption. Travel times may also be reduced by up to 37.5-% in the process.
The technology will be able to be overridden by the driver.
The second technology that Ford will offer in the near term is an expansion upon its successful Active Park Assist system. In addition to the current parallel parking assisting, the technology will also allow for conventional perpendicular parking. This system uses ultrasound to find a complying space to park and then uses the electric-power assisted steering to park the vehicle. All the driver needs to do is to hit the button on the dash and put the vehicle is drive or reverse when the system asks.
FordInsideNews.com
June 26, 2012
By: Austin Rutherford
Coming right out of iRobot, many believe that autonomous - or driverless - cars are the future of the automobile industry. Many states are considering or have already passed laws dealing with this future feature with technology pioneers like Google already extensively testing it. With many other automakers exploring autonomous cars, Ford is jumping into the ring further by announcing it will develop two new technologies.
The first of these is Traffic Jam Assist. This is a mid-term solution that will take the driver out of the situation when the vehicle hits heavy traffic. Using radar and cameras, the system will keep the vehicle a certain distance from other vehicles on any side. This will allow for a reduction in stress for the driver, improve traffic flow, and reduce gas consumption. Travel times may also be reduced by up to 37.5-% in the process.
The technology will be able to be overridden by the driver.
The second technology that Ford will offer in the near term is an expansion upon its successful Active Park Assist system. In addition to the current parallel parking assisting, the technology will also allow for conventional perpendicular parking. This system uses ultrasound to find a complying space to park and then uses the electric-power assisted steering to park the vehicle. All the driver needs to do is to hit the button on the dash and put the vehicle is drive or reverse when the system asks.